Here is part of an announcement from FamilySearch about their growing list of free online research courses, some of which are specifically about Australian records:

Maybe you’d like to learn more about how to do your family history research but don’t think you can afford to take a class. Thousands of individuals are now satisfying many of those needs through FamilySearch’s growing collection of free online genealogy courses.

In just one year, the number of free FamilySearch courses has grown to over 140—and new courses are added monthly. Most recently, over 25 courses were added for Australia, England, Germany, and the U.S. Additional courses were added that focus on basic tools and techniques for anyone just getting started in family history research, as well as courses for intermediate and advanced researchers.

“The goal of the initiative is to educate more people worldwide about how to find their ancestors. We do it by filming the experts teaching a particular class of interest and then offering free access to that presentation online—complete with the PowerPoint used and anyelectronic handouts that the user can download or print for future reference,” said Candace Turpan, FamilySearch instructional designer.

Turpan’s team films presentations made by its staff from the FamilySearch Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as special guests (the library is frequented by accredited researchers from all over the world). They also travel to industry conferences or other venues where record and research specialists gather. There they film specialists’ presentations and make them available online.

FamilySearch uses viewing software that splits the viewing screen (sort of like the picture-in-picture features on some televisions) so the user can watch the video of the presenter while also seeing the PowerPoint presentation. Most courses are 30 minutes in length. You can also fast forward through the presentation or presentation slides or stop and pick up later where you left off—a luxury you don’t get in the live presentation.

I’ve used this software to view presentations and I’m very impressed. It works easily and looks great.

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer–driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in SaltLake City, Utah.

Recently I was asked about how to gain the experience required to work as a professional genealogist. This is a slightly edited version of my answer.

I think the best way to learn is by volunteering as a researcher or library assistant with a family history society and by reading. The book that I found the most helpful is called Professional Genealogy edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills, published by the Genealogical Publishing Company, last reprinted in 2004.

There is an online study group that grew out of the Association of Professional Genealogists mailing list called ProGen Study that goes through this book over 18 months – they do assignments and have discussions every month. I took part in the first of these groups that ended last Christmas. I can’t recommend it highly enough as a way of improving your genealogical research skills and for the business aspects as well. They now have a website. They are based in the States but there are a few members from other countries, including Australia.

The biggest differences I have found between researching for myself and for other people are

planning the research to complete it in the most efficient manner;

writing the report as I go – making sure I have the correct source citation before I put the microfilm or file away;

entering the results into the report as I go or as soon as possible when I get home.

When you are wandering around Ancestry for yourself you can take all night, but when you are searching for someone else who is paying you by the hour you have to be focussed and get everything you need first go. You want to avoid having to go back because you missed something the first time.

You might try practising. Think of a question you want to answer in your own research, and then tackle it as though you were doing it for someone else. Analyse what you already know and how reliable it is, write a research plan, carry out the research, and write a report of the results and suggested next steps. You’ll be surprised what a difference it makes. And the report will be invaluable when you next come to look at this part of your research.

In the short term, you can start with record retrievals. Whether you charge for this service or you perform Acts of Genealogical Kindness, make sure you cite the copies that you’ve found correctly, and specify all the records or indexes that you searched, whether you found anything or not. Negative searches are also useful information.

I’ve been reading old Descents, the journal of the Society of Australian Genealogists. Currently I’m in the early-1980s, where life for genealogists was quite different than it is now.

Still, it is not as different as they thought that it was going to be. There was a prediction in an article by Elizabeth Simpson called ‘Historians and Genealogists’ (Vol 11, Part 3, Sept. 1981) that in twenty years there would be no need for anyone to do any further research because it would have all been done. Every family, presumably, would have done all the research that could be done and later generations would have nothing left to do.

Well, I’m here to say that this optimistic situation hasn’t eventuated. Not only has there not been the widespread interest in genealogy that may have contributed to this result, but there is always more to do!

Some people distinguish between genealogy and family history. Genealogy is the tracing of ancestors and filling in a chart. Names and dates, basically.

Family history is what you do when the names and dates are no longer enough and you want to know about the boxes on the chart as people. You want to know about their lives – where they lived, where they went to school, where they got married, what they did for a living, what they owned, what they looked like and what sort of people they were.

The search for information that can answer these questions can take a lifetime. It can take many years to find a single name or event. Finding information is becoming easier in this era of Ancestry and FindMyPast and other online resources but there is still so much that is only available in libraries and private papers. The difficulty is in finding out that the information is there to be found.

My mother said to me once that there was no point in her getting involved in researching her family because I’d already done it all. If only that were true! Unfortunately I don’t think it ever will be ‘done’.

I was born in Sydney and grew up in country NSW. I've lived in Sydney since leaving school and starting university. My mother is the descendant of farmers and graziers on her father's side, and professionals on her mother's; and my father is a South Sea Islander. Read More…